Ask an FAE… What’s that?

We take the top questions KEMET’s Field Application Engineers (FAEs) receive and answer them. These questions are sent in with the Ask an FAE button below and from live customer discussions.

Think you know capacitors and passive components? Don’t worry if you don’t. That’s why we create these videos. Each episode has links to additional information. So, if you need to dig a little bit deeper or you aren’t sure what “Self-Healing” is, we can help you learn even more.

Ask an FAE

Episode List

3D capacitor models and capacitor STEP files are easy to find at KEMET.com. Dimensional data is available in our datasheets. Our website’s search provides a one-click download of part number specific STEP files.

KEMET ships approximately 36 billion (that’s with a "b") capacitors each year. Making sure every piece meets our quality standards is important to us. In this episode, our CEO, Per Loof, discusses our quality objectives.

Different capacitor types reduce ripple voltage on DC-to-DC converters. Axel demonstrates how 4 different capacitor types affect the ripple voltage on a boost or buck regulator. Each bank of capacitors is the same capacitance. However, the ESR and ESL differences cause a different in the output ripple voltage. The capacitor types compared include X7R Ceramic, Aluminum Polymer, Polymer KO-CAP, and Tantalum MnO2.

Flex Suppressor solves EMI issues quickly. If your design does not pass EMI tests, try sticking pieces of Flex Suppressor inside. It can be applied directly to an IC, on the inside of an enclosure, or anywhere you think EMI might be leaking out. Per asks Wilmer to demonstrate how Flex Suppressor works.

Packing more capacitance at high voltage into a ceramic capacitor needs a cleverly designed electrode pattern. To prevent surface arcing, ArcShield contains a Faraday cage in a 1,000 V package as small at 0603. Mark explains to James how ArcShield achieves this performance and what it makes it different from other high-voltage ceramic surface mount capacitors.

Many power supplies use X- and Y- capacitors in their AC stage to shield against RFI, or Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI). The most common reason we hear for using an X2 capacitor in a smart meter design is that the designer wants “a UL rating.” This episode of KEMET's Ask an FAE addresses why not all X2 capacitors are suited for smart meter series coupling designs.